The chapter traces political developments in Slovakia from its sudden and controversial emergence as an independent state, following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, to the present day. Slovakia’s slow and difficult transition to democracy in the 1990s has been marked by nationalism and ambivalent attitude to liberal democracy and relations with the West. This was followed by a period of successful “Europeanization” and accession to the European Union and a relatively quick and successful joining of the Eurozone. It is argued that, despite the near-permanent political turbulence and the fluctuating party system, Slovakia’s democracy is progressing well, if not without problems. In highlighting problematic issues, it is suggested that they derive mostly from the absence of statehood tradition, the speed of reforms, and the legacy of communism. The misinterpretation of independence as the “ownership” of the state increases nationalist leanings within society, which then tolerates hostility to other ethnicities and immigrants. This negative legacy, when combined with post-communist distortion of history, the economic and social insecurity associated with speedy transition, and the absence of political responsibility, perpetuates corruption. The conclusion, whilst detailing these processes, argues that the democratization process in Slovakia has been perhaps more successful than expected, even if by no means complete.